| Clinical information |
|---|
| Date of valve replacement Type and size of the prosthetic valve Height, weight, body surface area Symptoms and related clinical findings Blood pressure and heart rate |
| Imaging of the valve |
| Motion of leaflets or occluder Presence of calcification on the leaflets or abnormal echo densities on the various components of the prosthesis Valve sewing ring integrity and motion |
| Doppler echocardiography of the valve |
| Contour of the jet velocity signal Peak velocity and gradient Mean pressure gradient VTI of the jet DVI Pressure half-time in MV and TV. EOA* Presence, location, and severity of regurgitation** |
| Other echocardiographic data |
| LV and RV size, function, and hypertrophy LA and right atrial size Concomitant valvular disease Estimation of pulmonary artery pressure |
| Previous postoperative studies, when available |
| Comparison of above parameters is particularly helpful in suspected prosthetic valvular dysfunction |
MV, Mitral valve; TV, tricuspid valve.
*EOA using the continuity equation; needs to be compared with normal Doppler values of the valve type and size. **Transthoracic Doppler is less sensitive to detection of valvular regurgi- tation in mitral and tricuspid prosthesis; TEE is frequently needed for a more definitive assessment.